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ongoing difficulties, if you could have a do-over, would you consolidate Macon and Bibb County again? MAYOR: Absolutely. It's been the greatest thing in the history of Macon and Bibb County. We've hit a stride and are coming together and working together. The legislature crafted the charter so we're a city and a county. Some people thought we'd lose our identity as one or the other, but we did not. We expanded the city limits, made them co-terminus with the county line, and elected one group of representatives to run both municipal and county functions, which are two separate things. When one government operates both county and municipal functions, there's a sense of balance and you're more effective. Consolidation is the greatest thing we've ever done. We had a lot of work to do, but became more efficient in the process. And one of the smartest things we've ever done was to make local elections nonpartisan. I can't imagine partisan politics right now on the local level. A lot of the progress we've made is because we forced people to get beyond party labels. JG: What are the positive outcomes of consolidation? MAYOR: Beyond the efficiency and effectiveness is a sense of belonging, which has expanded into a sense of regionalism. There are several things we're working on as a region and that's great for us. We have the Middle Georgia Regional Airport with direct flights to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport twice daily. Middle Georgia State University has five regional campuses in five Middle Georgia cities and a marvelous partnership with Robins Air Force Base. The old Boeing building is being leased by the technical college system of Georgia, and Central Georgia Technical College has moved two of its premier aviation-related courses there. Students are working alongside civil service employees from Robins to manufacture component parts for aircraft like F-15s or C130s. We've learned that the workforce is regional and have attracted several big employers because of the regional workforce from which they can draw. JG: What are the shortcomings of consolidation? MAYOR: It's not a silver bullet for every problem, but we may be a little more effective with all of the services consolidated in the sheriff's office. But, in fact, crime has not been sufficiently addressed. JG: Compare the 15-person city council with the nine-member county commission. MAYOR: In city government, we had a 15-member council with a mayor who wasn't invited to the meetings and a council president who presided over the meetings. That's rich. Now, we have a nine-member commission and I'm a member. I set the agenda, preside over the meetings and don't vote, unless there's a tie. What's amazing to me, and makes being mayor so much fun, but so difficult, is the combination AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | maconmagazine.com 49